Game 1: The Rays opened their series at Publix Park with Boston by taking a 5-0 win. Rex Bransington (6-2) was in fine form going 7 5 0 0 0 5 and the offense did enough despite not getting a single extra-base hit. Luis Barela knocked in a pair to give them the early lead and Juan Viatoro's 2-run single in a 3-run 7th put it away.
Game 2: After a somewhat subdued performance in the opener the offense roared to life in the second game, scoring 11 times by the 4th inning on the way to a 14-3 rout of the Red Sox. Boston actually took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first but Alex Duran's grand slam (#18) in the bottom of the frame was an emphatic response and a 7-run 3rd broke it open. Chris Kidd got a rare start and took advantage, going 4-6 with a double and RBI single in that 4th and David Morales drove in 3 including a 2-run single in the 4th. Duran also tripled and drove in a 5th run. Chad Winger (11-4) had an easy time for the win, going 5.2 7 2 2 1 8.
Game 3: The Rays completed the sweep of Boston with another shutout win, prevailing 8-0 in the finale and outscoring the Sox 27-3 for the series. Alec McInerney improved to 5-0, 1.91 after a 5.2 6 0 0 1 4 outing. The move to put him in the rotation and shift Jimmy Bernal to the bullpen has paid dividends as Bernal has thrived in multi-inning relief with a combined 16.2 10 1 1 3 21 line in 7 bullpen appearances including 2 1/3 scoreless today. Meanwhile the offense got going in the 2nd with a 2-run Juan Viatoro triple and a 2-run Beau Bonczek homer (#23) while Luis Barela added a 3-run shot (#32) later and Alex Duran also went deep (#19).
Team record: 75-25. You don't need a calculator to compute that winning percentage and with the Yankees dropping a game the lead is up to 5 1/2 games. Next up: 3 games in Columbus against a Lightning team that's having a fine season at 63-38.
MLB News: Bob Riley, a mainstay of our rotation in the late 40s, is on the move again after he was traded from Atlanta to Houston where he joins his former Rays teammates Doug Johns and Gordie Ager. Also we had this game, which deserves the box score treatment:
